The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-10-11
THE WAR IN DIXIE.
A CONFEDERATE COLONEL GIVES
SOME WAR TIME EXPERIENCES.

A Burnt Offering of sarpius Baggage.
Novel Methods Of Preparing q Dinner.
Primitive Spring Bed-An Icy Couch.
A Professionalism.
In the spring Of 1852 our patres con-
script had evidently become convinced
that the contest was likely TO be both seri-
J Gus and long, and volunteers for three
years or the war were called for. soon
after this | was at Corinth, Miss, as cap
ain Of q company in the Thirty-eighth
Mississippi regiment. had provided my
self with an ample supply Of bedding, in
Guiding a mattress, and took along a trunk
containing some elegant citizens clothing
for dress or social occasions. One day our
quartermaster requested us 10 send all
baggage TO the depot for convenience of
transportation in case OF retreat" This
was thoughtful Of him and ! felt grateful,
but not for long. In . few hours IL trans
PRED that our luggage was not TO be
checked through, but was TO be burned.
Ii began 10 dawn upon me that ] had been
somewhat stupid in my military prepare
tons. but when ] rushed off TO the depot
and found several acres OF similar impedl-
ments piled up for a burnt Offering felt
somewhat relieved. 1t was clear that my
ears were no longer than my n%eighbors'.
That night Corinth was evacuated. The
measles, a disease very fatal TO soldiers,
had already appeared in camp and the ex-
pOsure Of this retreat resulted in the death
| OF ffty-nine mel in my company Of 1870.
| The regiment had been hurried 10 the
| front before submitting 10 the hardening
gx. ~ N d. =, ~ 90 frct,.s,, .l-l.-I
| the ambitious vanity Of its colonel, who
was in haste to win a brigadier's wreath.
II oc~casiOned no surprise that the lean
Jack Falstaff ran away from our first
| serious fight at Iuka and we saw him no
more. On this retreat a feat wa per-
formed in a culinary way that could not
be excelled. Being separated from Our
trains and having little knowledge of the
need Of being always prepared for sudden
movements, there was neither pot nor pan
| to be found in the company.
In spite of these minor difficulties l
dined one day, by invitation, and, as
thought at the time, luxuriously. of Of
hot loaf bread and butter and broiled
tenderloin steak. Dinner was prepared
in this way: A pit was dug some twenty
inches square and one foot deep with q
shoulder half ways down. I'm this pit dry
oak twigs were burned 10 embers. A
clean handkerchief well Toured answered
for a tray and the loaf, when kneaded,
WAS placed in the pit. This was covered
with bark and earth and the oven was
perfect and complete. When the bread
was done other sticks were made 10 do
duty as q griddle, and with the help Of a
few necessities obtained from d farm
house the steak was broiled and seasoned
10 q turn.
PRIMITIVE SPRING BED.
After the burnt offering mentioned
trunks and mattresses disappeared and,
most generally, tents were an unknown
luxury 10 the private soldier in the field
! Here again necessity spurred on invention
and a sort Of |liliputian tent was the re-
suit. Four stakes about two feet long,
with forks for cross pieces. were driven In
the ground. On these a platform was
made by laying poles lengthwise, thus
making a spring bed Of no mean preten-
Sions. About three feet above this was a
ridge pole, across which a rubber or
wooden blanket WAS stretched tent fash
ion. A blanket laid on the platform. Il
another for covering formed the tempo
rary couch OF two men. They entered oa
all tours at the end. as Il rat enters his
hole, but, unlike the rat, they did not
turn round 10 rome out. This p%retentious
style Of housekeeping was only rssorted
10 in wet weather. Strict economy in the
matter OF labor Was the rule among sol
diers. and the earth for a couch and the
sky for a covering suficed in most cases.
| never knew one Of these platforms made
10 avoid sleeping on the frozen ground.
The soldier would spread his blanket and
lie down until his underside f%raternized
with the ice, when he would grOwl and
turn over and freeze the other side while
the first thawed out, aud so on through
the night.
well remember one fellow, a fine sol
der. too, who scorned the burden of even
y blanket on the march, and So at night,
when he failed 10 steal one (which was
seldom, he sat up by q fire and made
night hideous with mock sermons of won
derful theology and doubtful morality.
Strange to say, he survived the war, and
is now enlisted in the army of the Lord.
AT Nicksburg this same preacher was re-
| sponsible for q ready retort under trying
circumstances. He was then a firm Cal
NlnlSl, unu was always itout " uO DdlNAc
in defense Of his creed. One day he was
sitting, with a group, in an angle Of the
works, discussing his favorite dogma of
| predestinatiOn. just then a shell explOd-
ed and knocked the professionalism over
| without hurting him. When he recoy-
| cred his breath and legs he darted off for
| the shelter OF q traverse just in front of
Us. His antagonist yelled at and twitted
him with his want OF faith in his own doc
trine. He did pot pause in the order OF
his going, but suffered back: "Ca-ca-
can't stop; it's pre- pre- pre-destined that |
must get on the other side Of the ira
| trayerse"' and he fulfilled the decree TO
the letter and with commendable alacrity.
-Ex-C Confederate Col. j. II. Jones in
Philadelphia Times.
English Dislike Of France.
IL - sfno,lar hon, thu EpUlfuh dfgltka